Marketing Performance, LLC

Don’t Say It. Be It.

April 14th, 2011

Some people dream of success, others make it happen. Of course, you can dream as much as you like but waiting for things to happen gets you nowhere. Get active and start making things happen.

Whatever journey your path takes you on, the most important thing is to have passion in what you do.

Did you go to college, get your degree, and end up doing something totally unrelated to your major? Studying it did not make you passionate about it. It wasn’t your path.

Education or even talent aren’t worth much without passion. So do the stuff that you love and you’ve always wanted to do because without it, you’ll feel stuck and unfulfilled. If you work in a bank but your dream is to be a naturopath, then make those changes now. Make this year the turning point in your life. When you do what you love you will be rewarded — it will just flow naturally.

Look at those around you who just make things happen. They have a clear goal in mind and they know where they want to go. They don’t always have a plan but they have the passion and the tenacity to make it work, and they achieve their goals as the end result.

Trust us when we tell you this. If something important to you, you WILL find a way. If it isn’t, you’ll find an excuse. It’s that simple. Find your way. Make it work, whatever it takes. Are you 10 kilos heavier than you should be? It is simple: Commit, go to that gym every day, no excuses, and train until you lose those 10 kilos. When you accomplish this, you’ll have the confidence to do more. Set a goal and make it happen.

Want to stop smoking? Stop making excuses, take control of your circumstances before they take control of you.

Success isn’t just about what you accomplish in your life, it’s about what you inspire others to do and when you do accomplish something as simple as quitting smoking or losing weight, you’ll inspire others to do the same. Anyone can change the world, and everybody should try. And it all starts with your own life.

Stop waiting for the perfect time to do what you want to do. Do it now.

Thanks, Cool Hunter.

Tags: Branding, business barriers, business gains, Catapult Effect, change your business, changing your life, creative marketing strategy, customer loyalty, relationship marketing
Posted in Great Ideas, Highly Recommended, New Ideas | No Comments »

The Myth of the “Right People”

March 2nd, 2011

I had lunch with a radio sales rep a couple of weeks ago and invariably, as it always does, the conversation turned to reaching “the right people” and how this group of stations could reach exactly the customer my client was after.

Now, honestly, I’ve never seen a business fail due to reaching the wrong people. But if you listen to advertising sales reps, “reaching the right people” will solve all your problems.

And guess who has exactly the right people for you?

The conversation usually goes something like this: the sales rep says, “Tell me, who is your customer?”
“Blah, blah, blah.”
“Really? That’s exactly who we reach! What a fit! It’s like a hand in glove, a marriage made in heaven! We reach your exact customer profile!”

Get the picture?

Here’s an idea. Call every advertising sales office in your city and tell them you want to advertise with them. Let’s see how many of them say, “Sorry, your customer isn’t who we reach.”

The myth of “the right people” is a myth every business owner wants to believe because it keeps them from having to make uncomfortable changes. “Our selection isn’t off-target, we’re just reaching the wrong people.” “Our prices aren’t too high, we’re just reaching the wrong people.” Traffic isn’t down because our ads are flaccid, we’re just reaching the wrong people.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: advertising, brand equity, Branding, business barriers, business gains, Catapult Effect, creative marketing strategy, marketing performance, Social Media, starting a business
Posted in About Us | No Comments »

Being For What Is

February 3rd, 2011

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends upon the unreasonable man.” – George Bernard Shaw

“Every man with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.” – Mark Twain

A friend of mine has a saying that I never quite understood, but think I do now. “Be for what is.” Here’s what I think:
There are basically two ways of seeing:
1. the way things ought to be.
2. the way things are.

Do you find yourself moaning about the injustice of it all and wishing that things were different?
Be for what is.

Do you hear things like this? ‘If only my boss liked me better.’ ‘If only I had married someone else.’ ‘If only I had invested in Wal-Mart, Apple or Microsoft back when.’ There’s a little bit of that in all of us. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: advertising, advertising failures, brand equity, change your business, creative ideas, creative marketing strategy, relationship marketing, Social Media, social networking
Posted in New Ideas | No Comments »

What I Taught in College Last Week

October 26th, 2010

For those who didn’t know, I teach at the University of SC in the Journalism School; Mass Communications and Information Studies to be “proper.” But being a graduate of the “Journalism School,” back in the day when that word was still used in the name, it will always be the “J-School” to me.

I teach Advertising Campaign Strategy to graduating seniors. (at least they think they are graduating. They have to pass this class first.) And it’s the time in the course calendar where we discuss “communication tactics” as part of the strategy. In the lecture portion of my class last week here were a few general points I made about communication tactics that sometimes get overlooked: Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: advertising, advertising failures, brand equity, brand loyalty, Branding, business barriers, business gains, creative marketing strategy, Creativity, marketing, marketing performance, social media marketing
Posted in Branding, Creativity, email marketing, Great Ideas, Highly Recommended, internet marketing, New Ideas, Research, Social Media, Traditional Media, twitter, What we're working on now | 2 Comments »

Retailer? Boost Your Holiday Sales with these 5 Social Media Tips

October 25th, 2010

Are you in retail? Social media will drive more holiday purchase decisions this year than ever. In fact, 27 percent of last year’s holiday shoppers were influenced in some way by social media; 59 percent used search engines as their first choice for gift finding. Plus, keep in mind that 47 percent of consumers will have already started their holiday shopping by the end of October!

How can you as a local retailer engage shoppers using social media to drive revenue this holiday season? Let’s start with several low-cost and creative ideas that you can put in place this week to start off the holiday shopping season with a social media kick.

Start now with social media. Building a following on Facebook and Twitter, or through some simple product videos or blog posts can pay dividends as we near the holiday season, especially when last-minute shoppers are seeking local options.
Get reviewed online. Like signage in a retail store, customer reviews on Google and Facebook draw attention and help differentiate between similar retailers. More than 70 percent of consumers trust recommendations from reviewers and recent studies show 83 percent of all holiday shoppers this year will be influenced by customer reviews.
Be helpful with your holiday messaging. Social media is really about sharing useful content with your audience. Make their gift-finding easier by offering helpful ideas and information, and you’ll be rewarded with increased loyalty, recognition, store traffic and online “word of mouth.” Think about the gift-giving challenges of your customers, and speak to those needs with your Facebook posts or Twitter tweets.
Use social media with traditional marketing. If you distribute flyers, postcards or do any form of advertising, include your social-media links everywhere your customers see your name. Don’t forget the in-store applications, where something as simple as sticking a printed “Follow us on Facebook” card in each shopping bag can help boost followers and online word-of-mouth marketing.
Use pictures and videos where possible. Whether you sell hand soap, jewelry or pheasant hunting trips, research shows that people respond to posts with photos and video much more favorably than to simple text postings. Remember, you’re trying to tell your story, and any imagery you can use to help tell that story will bring in more holiday business.

Need help? We’re good. Ask anybody. Give us a call!

Tags: advertising, brand loyalty, business barriers, marketing, marketing performance, relationship marketing, social marketing, social media marketing
Posted in Branding, Creativity, Great Ideas, Highly Recommended, internet marketing, New Ideas, Social Media, Traditional Media | No Comments »